Wikipedia

Gonçalo Franco

Gonçalo Batista Franco (born 17 November 2000) is a Portuguese professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for EFL Championship club Swansea City.

Gonçalo Franco
Personal information
Full name Gonçalo Batista Franco[1]
Date of birth (2000-11-17) 17 November 2000 (age 25)[1]
Place of birth Porto, Portugal[1]
Height 1.76 m (5 ft 9 in)[1]
Position Midfielder
Team information
Current team
 Swansea City
Number 17
Youth career
2008–2010 Boavista
2010–2013 Porto
2014 Rio Ave
2014–2020 Leixões
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2020 Leixões 6 (0)
2020–2024 Moreirense 112 (6)
2024– Swansea City 85 (5)
International career
2019 Portugal U20 2 (0)
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 19:24, 2 May 2026 (UTC)

Club career

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Early career

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Born in Porto, Franco finished his youth career at Leixões after joining its academy at the age of 13. He made his LigaPro debut with the first team on 4 January 2020, featuring 83 minutes in a 0–1 home loss against Penafiel.[2]

Moreirense

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Franco signed a five-year contract with Primeira Liga club Moreirense in the summer of 2020.[3] He played his first match in the competition on 20 September, coming on as a late substitute in the 2–0 home win over Farense.[4] He scored his first goal the following 10 May, closing the 2–1 away defeat of Portimonense.[5]

During his tenure at the Parque de Jogos Comendador Joaquim de Almeida Freitas, Franco totalled 129 appearances, nine goals and six assists.[6]

Swansea City

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On 12 July 2024, Franco joined EFL Championship side Swansea City on a four-year deal, for an undisclosed fee.[7] He made his debut on 10 August, playing 78 minutes and being booked in the 1–0 away loss to Middlesbrough.[8] He scored his first goal on 26 December as the hosts defeated Queens Park Rangers 3–0,[9] and at the end of his first season was voted both the Swans' Supporters' Player of the Season and Players' Player of the Season.[10]

Franco scored his first goal of the 2025–26 campaign on 30 September 2025, equalising an eventual 2–1 victory at Blackburn Rovers.[11]

International career

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Personal life

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Franco's father, Pedro, was also a footballer. A defender, he too represented Moreirense.[13]

Career statistics

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As of match played 2 May 2026[14]
Club Season League National cup[a] League cup[b] Other Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Leixões 2019–20 LigaPro 600000—60
Moreirense 2020–21 Primeira Liga 26130——291
2021–22 Primeira Liga 23031112[c]0292
2022–23 Liga Portugal 2 3032041—364
2023–24 Primeira Liga 3321010—352
Total 11269162201299
Swansea City 2024–25 EFL Championship 4021010—422
2025–26 EFL Championship 4531031—494
Total 8552041—916
Career total 203111111032022615

Honours

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Moreirense

Individual

  • Liga Portugal 2 Team of the Season: 2022–23[16]
  • Liga Portugal 2 Midfielder of the Month: August 2022,[17] October/November 2022[18]
  • Swansea City Player of the Year: 2024–25[10]

References

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  1. 1 2 3 4 "Gonçalo Franco" (in Portuguese). Mais Futebol. Retrieved 1 December 2020.
  2. ↑ "Leixões-Penafiel, 0–1: Triunfo vale subida ao 9.º lugar" [Leixões-Penafiel, 0–1: Win equals climb to 9th place]. Record (in Portuguese). 4 January 2020. Retrieved 1 December 2020.
  3. ↑ Freitas, Bruno (1 September 2020). "Gonçalo Franco é reforço de longa duração para o Moreirense" [Gonçalo Franco is long-term addition for Moreirense]. Record (in Portuguese). Archived from the original on 28 February 2021. Retrieved 1 December 2020.
  4. ↑ "Moreirense vence Farense no regresso dos algarvios 18 anos depois" [Moreirense beat Farense as Algarveans return 18 years later]. O Minho (in Portuguese). 20 September 2020. Retrieved 1 December 2020.
  5. ↑ "Moreirense bate Portimonense com golo nos últimos minutos e aproxima-se dos lugares europeus" [Moreirense beat Portimonense with goal in last minutes and near European places] (in Portuguese). SAPO. 10 May 2021. Retrieved 10 May 2021.
  6. ↑ Agre, João (12 July 2024). "Moreirense despede-se de Gonçalo Franco" [Moreirense say goodbye to Gonçalo Franco]. A Bola (in Portuguese). Retrieved 13 July 2024.
  7. ↑ "Gonçalo Franco seals Swansea City move". Swansea City A.F.C. 12 July 2024. Retrieved 12 July 2024.
  8. ↑ "Middlesbrough 1–0 Swansea City: Emmanuel Latte Lath earns Boro first opening day win in a decade". Sky Sports. 10 August 2024. Retrieved 26 April 2025.
  9. ↑ "Swansea City 3–0 Queens Park Rangers: Liam Cullen double steers Swans to victory". Sky Sports. 26 December 2024. Retrieved 10 May 2025.
  10. 1 2 "Franco takes top prizes at end-of-season awards". BBC Sport. 30 April 2025. Retrieved 10 May 2025.
  11. ↑ Coleman, Tom (30 September 2025). "Blackburn Rovers 1–2 Swansea City: Visitors come from behind to claim victory". WalesOnline. Retrieved 23 March 2026.
  12. ↑ Carvalho, Filipe (2 July 2020). "Olheiro BnR: Gonçalo Franco" [BnR scout: Gonçalo Franco] (in Portuguese). Bola Na Rede. Retrieved 13 July 2024.
  13. ↑ "Moreirense garante Gonçalo Franco por cinco épocas" [Moreirense confirm Gonçalo Franco for five seasons] (in Portuguese). Guimarães Digital. 1 September 2020. Retrieved 1 December 2020.
  14. ↑ Gonçalo Franco at Soccerway
  15. ↑ Devesas, Lino (22 May 2023). "Campeão Moreirense fixa recorde e despede-se na quinta-feira" [Champions Moreirense set record and say goodbye on Thursday]. O Jogo (in Portuguese). Retrieved 14 August 2023.
  16. ↑ "Gonçalo Franco joins the Liga Portugal SABSEG Team of the Year". Liga Portuguesa de Futebol Profissional. 23 June 2023. Retrieved 14 October 2023.
  17. ↑ "Best of August: Gonçalo Franco named Midfielder of the Month in Liga Portugal SABSEG". Liga Portuguesa de Futebol Profissional. 8 September 2022. Retrieved 16 October 2023.
  18. ↑ "Best of October/November: Gonçalo Franco named Midfielder of the Month in Liga Portugal SABSEG". Liga Portuguesa de Futebol Profissional. 13 December 2022. Retrieved 15 October 2023.
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